After three months of hanging in the Hospital Gallery at The Chelsea and Westmister, the paintings were returned to my studio last week. I have been busy working with Beth (Moseley) from
Paintings in Hospitals and preparing two sets/groups of paintings which will be touring the U.K. over the next five years.
I really enjoyed working with Alex Minton (Hospital Arts) and his team in what for me was a new experience in exhibiting. It was fun showing in such a public space and I also enjoyed talking to the Staff Patients and for that matter all comers, you never know where feedback and response to the work is coming from.
On the day I did one of my formal talks in the Hospital Gallery, I got there early to have my photo taken for a newspaper article. I was hanging around the exhibition waiting and there was a man looking intensely at my paintings. I asked him if he was enjoying the exhibition and how he got to be looking around. He said he had just seen a consultant and they were doing tests for cancer. He was in a state of shock and couldn't leave the hospital, a staff member had told him about my paintings and that it might be helpful for him to take a look. I talked him through the show and invited him to stay for my talk.
Simon was at the talk and stayed for tea, after which he said he felt he could face up to what was happening in his life and was amazed that he'd even found himself laughing that day. We keep in touch and he is doing O.K. This is one of many lovely stories which have resulted from the publication and the continuing journey of
HCSML.
Labels: Chelsea and Westminster, Exhibition, Hospital